Cathy's Holiday Ideas

Mull of Kintyre cottages

If you stay at one of our Mull of Kintyre cottages you can discover a small, perfectly formed peninsula which stretches south west down into the Irish Sea, the closest that Scotland gets to Ireland. Swept by the warm Gulf Stream, there are fantastic seascapes on both coasts with some great beaches. It is long and narrow, with mountainous regions in the centre and green pasture lands and farms around the coast, renowned for the production of the award winning Campbeltown Cheddar cheese. For the outdoor enthusiasts there are some fantastic walks - suitable for all levels, excellent golf - Machrihanish was voted the favourite first hole in world golf by the world's best players, cycle routes to explore the area at a leisurely pace, and some of the best surfing in Scotland.

The Mull of Kintyre itself is the south westernmost tip of the peninsula. From this wild headland the Irish coast is visible just 15 miles away. Nearby, St Columba first landed in Scotland bringing Christianity on his journey to Iona and his 'footprints' can be seen carved in the rock.

The Kintyre Peninsula meets the Argyll mainland at the lively fishing village and yachtsman's paradise of Tarbert, joined only by a narrow piece of land between the Tarbert's East and West Lochs. Tarbert, a small picturesque fishing village renowned for fresh seafood, is the gateway to Kintyre. Here you will find most of our Mull of Kintyre cottages.

The Atlantic Seaboard is almost treeless and looks over to the Isles of Islay and Jura marked by the distinctive Paps of Jura (see photo above). Here you will find seals basking on the rocks off shore. The three miles of sandy beach and dunes stretching south to Machrihanish are one of the best surfing beaches in the UK.

The lush east coast looks across the Firth of Clyde to the towering peaks of the Isle of Arran and beyond the rocky hump of Ailsa Craig to Ayrshire and Galloway.

If you are staying at any of our Mull of Kintyre cottages you will no doubt visit Campbeltown. Popularly known as 'The Wee Toon', it is the largest settlement on the Kintyre Peninsula. Once a thriving fishing port it became in the late 19th century one of the richest towns in Scotland. It was long associated with whisky, although now supplanted by Islay as the whisky capital of Scotland. This prosperity is obvious in the large number of very substantial Victorian and Edwardian villas on both sides of Campbeltown Loch, as well as the splendour of many of its public buildings and the oldest operating cinema in the country.

For day trips to Ireland from Campbeltown Kintyre Express offer a summer service in small passenger only boats.

So, if you are looking for Mull of Kintyre cottages to rent, why not browse my selection to find something that catches your eye?